1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to wireless digital communication systems and, more specifically, to a system and method for efficiently updating firmware for nodes in a mesh network.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional wireless mesh network includes a plurality of nodes, each incorporating a network interface. A given node may transmit payload data to one or more other nodes via the network interface. The node may originate the payload data or forward the payload data on behalf of a different node. Similarly, a given node may receive the payload data from a different node to be processed or forwarded by the node. The wireless mesh network may include an arbitrary number of nodes and may include certain access points, configured to bridge data communications within the mesh network to a related service system, such as a wire line or optical communications network. A given node may send payload data directly to a corresponding access point. Additionally, the node may forward payload data to the access point on behalf of one or more other nodes within the wireless mesh network. The access point collects payload data for various nodes within the wireless mesh network and forwards the payload data to the related service system through some form of system network such as a wide-area network (WAN).
A network system includes a plurality of wireless mesh networks, where each wireless mesh network may include an arbitrary number of nodes and access points. At least one access point within each wireless mesh network bridges communications for the nodes within the respective wireless mesh network. In this way, the related service system may reach any number of access points, where each access point in turn is in communication with a plurality of nodes. The number of access points and nodes in a given wireless mesh network may be fixed, with each access point configured to bridge data communications for a fixed group of nodes. The number of nodes serviced by an access point may be fixed such that the access point can receive the payload data for all corresponding nodes, even under poor communications conditions.
During the life of the network, nodes within the network may need to be updated. For example, each node may include firmware that controls the function of the node. The updated firmware may include software changes implemented by the manufacturer of the node to fix bugs in the operation of the node or improve the functionality of the node. Because the nodes of the wireless mesh network are typically deployed at remote locations, the related service system may be configured to update the firmware in the nodes of the wireless mesh network by transmitting a copy of the software instructions to each of the nodes.
One disadvantage of this approach is that transmitting a single copy of the firmware to each node in the wireless mesh network increases network traffic transmitted via the access point. Consequently, normal network operations may be interrupted due to high bandwidth requirements of the firmware update operation. This problem is magnified because each access point bridges communications between nodes in the wireless mesh network and the related service system, creating a bottleneck in communications.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a more efficient technique for efficiently performing a network-wide update of firmware for nodes in a mesh network.